6 Tips for Sales Demos

Effective salespeople focus on solution sales above all other approaches. This includes a thoughtful demo process that addresses specific concerns that the customer has. This allows the customer’s needs to be met. Asking questions at the beginning of the sales demos can be as, if not more, important than sales demos itself. By asking questions, you allow yourself to understand the needs of the customer and what they plan on using your solution for. It may also allow you to get any unrealistic expectations out of the way and explain any limitations your solution may have. 

Sales demos focused on specific solutions may require more discovery time on the front-end, especially if your tool offers a wide range of features and solutions. But through this sales process, they are much more likely to stay engaged and see the value in your product. Ensure that you keep your sales demos focused on what matters to your customer and ask the right questions beforehand.

Below, we list 6 tips for sales demos that have helped us at Visitor Queue!

1. Do Your Homework

As mentioned above (I mention it twice because it’s this important), doing your homework on not only your customer’s needs, but your customer, in general, is extremely important. If you have made it to the software demo stage, they should already be qualified as a good fit, making it worth your while to invest time into some homework. 

First, ensure you know the basics.

• What is it that their business does?
• How large is their business?
• Who are the relevant leaders in the company?
• What is the role of the individual(s) you are speaking to?

The company website or business directories will give you a sense of their size, age, and sophistication. With this information, you can understand if the focus will be on building a pipeline or increasing up-sells, cross-sells, or expansions. This gives you a good starting point on where their interests and issues may lie. 

This is just a lead up to what is to come. When you get on the call, your homework doesn’t stop there, because you will then be getting information from them on exactly what they are looking for and expecting. This is all very valuable information and will sway how you handle this demo and what you focus on. Be sure to take notes for follow-ups and help in the future. 

2. What Do They Know?

Next, you are going to want to find out what they know about you and the familiarity they have about your industry. This will tell you how much research they have done and potentially wherein the purchase decision they are. This starts as an open-ended conversation where you will have them spill their guts to you. This can include how they found you, why they were interested, and even bad experiences they had in the past. This is all valuable information that you can use as leverage. 

For the prospects that are more familiar with your company, your job is a bit easier. They tend to be more forthcoming with their challenges and allow you to be more direct. These prospects also have more reason to talk on the call as they need less convincing and allow for more open conversation. This tends to be the case more with inbound leads rather than outbound. 

3. How Do They Make Money?

This is an important question to ask but can be poorly received if you ask it too soon. Once you have developed some rapport and trust, you will be able to ask this more freely. This information is important for you to have. If you understand how their business makes money, you can better tailor your conversation to show how your product can help them increase their revenue. 

While there are many ways you can ask these questions, there are better solutions than asking it bluntly. Some ways you can discover the information you are looking for in a more elegant way are:

• How long is your sales cycle?
• How big is your average deal?
• What verticals do you currently sell into?
• Do you have plans to expand into new industries?

People aren’t patient, but they do not want to come right out and tell you the inner working of their business. You need to ensure you develop the relationship enough before asking these questions. 

4. Involve The Right People

Demoing someone who is not in a position to make an immediate decision is not uncommon. These are perfect tasks for interns and other positions where they can report back to management with the bullet points. It is common that the first person you demo is not the last person you will need to convince on your sale. This is why it is important to involve other team members. Some ways todo this is to ask a few questions during that initial call, such as:

• Will this product be used by other teams/team members?
• Who is the final decision maker on the purchase?
• Could our product be used by other departments?

This is especially important in software sales as it usually involves a committee of some sort. As software is typically implemented for multiple people and possibly multiple teams, it is a large overhaul to implement. This is why it typically involves multiple people to make a final decision. A conversation between you and one other individual that ignores the rest of the decision-makers can end suddenly. Creating these multi-touchpoint conversations with all stakeholders is important to keep the deal afloat. 

5. Book The Next Sales Demo 

Do not hang up the phone without booking the next appointment. Now that you have identified the other key stakeholders, loop them in with a follow-up email or appointment. Ensure that you do not get off your call without knowing what the next steps are and putting it in the prospect’s calendar. This is a short tip but a very important one. 

One last question you can ask, “What was your favourite thing you saw today?” This could give you valuable insight into what they are looking for and something you can emphasize on your next call. 

Bonus Tip: To enhance your sales demos even further, check out a demo software like Demowell to help you build one-of-a-kind personalized and interactive demos. We have seen a very strong ROI using Demowell and we cannot rave about them enough.

6. Make Your Case

Make it easy for them to make a value add demonstration to the key stakeholders. Help the prospect(s) find the best way of getting your product in front of the stakeholders in a positive light. It should be easy for those who went through the sales demos to take this information back to their boss and show it off. 

Follow-up with additional resources that they can take to their stakeholders, such as:

• Video clips of what is in the demo and highlight key advantages
• Anything that was interesting to who you went through the demo with (including screenshots or video)
• Summarize the potential ROI

One thing that sells software more times than not is the integrations you offer. Be sure you remind them of the other software you integrate with and how it can benefit them. 

Final Notes 

More and more prospects’ buying journey is done before a prospect even gets in touch with your business. How many times have you gone to purchase something, and you have made your mind up with the vast amount of information available online? Most modern buyers prefer to do their own research, then talk to a salesperson. 

As prospects are more informed and independent, the value-based sales approach is a critical touchpoint. If you do your job well, the sales demo software is just a step into an ongoing relationship with this business.